Cervical screening (previously known as the ‘smear test’) is a simple and important test that helps protect against cervical cancer by checking the health of your cervix.
At Fernville, our friendly and professional female nurses carry out all cervical screening appointments in a comfortable and supportive setting.
We routinely invite women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 for screening every 5 years, as this is when cervical cancer is most likely to develop — and early detection makes all the difference.
Take a step towards protecting your health — attend your cervical screening when invited.
Self-sampling coming soon
You might have heard that the UK National Screening Committee has recommended offering HPV self-sampling to women and people with a cervix who don’t usually attend cervical screening.
We understand NHS England plans to begin this in early 2026, but only for a small group of patients who meet specific criteria (still to be confirmed).
In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to come into the surgery and get screened.
We understand it can feel a bit embarrassing — but for our female nurses, this is something they do many times a day, and they’ve truly seen it all before. You’ll be treated with dignity, care, and zero judgment.
Any test is better than no test — but right now, coming in is still the best way to protect your health.